In Between the Lines
by Surrendered to Christ
Summary: Yami wakes up...really wakes up...in a world he's sure he doesn't know, but seems so familiar.
1. Awaken

Strange story. But please, read, and judge it for yourself.

I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh!

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It was a bright summer's day. The air was filled with a feeling of innocence and pureness. The sun shone, giving everything a soft golden sheen. In the continent of Japan, we find the city.

There was a building within the city. And in that building, there was a room, in which a stirring boy laid. His hair, which, at the moment, was a bit mussed up, was the thing one would first notice about him: it was black, tipped with crimson and streaked with gold. Golden bangs flopped over his young face. In his sleep, he looked at first glance to be boy of around fourteen or fifteen. To his friends, he is known as Yami.

The boy Yami let out a soft sigh. He hadn't slept so well in a long time, and was reluctant to open his eyes and accept the new day. He allowed himself to relax in the covers as the lingering fingers of sleep gradually faded away. It was Saturday, he knew: Yugi wouldn't need to be woken up, and that meant he, too, could sleep in. It had been a peaceful night, which was a welcome change. Lately, his nights had been plagued by nightmares that left him drenched in cold sweat. He could not tell if he'd spoken or even screamed in his sleep. He was convinced that not even the world ending could wake up Yugi in the middle of the night, and Grandpa was on a dig in Egypt, which meant there was no one else in the house but the two of them.

His memory had been coming back, bit by tiny bit, like a shattered puzzle reforming itself. And with the memories had come the nightmares. Night after night he'd tossed and turned in his bed as his mind replayed the videos from his old life. He'd gotten no peace and very little rest. Even on the rare occasion that he'd managed to stay asleep despite the dreams he'd woken up emotionally and physically drained.

Deciding he'd better get up to make breakfast, he opened his crimson eyes and started to stretch. But something tugged on his arm, holding it back.

Puzzled, he looked down, and his bright crimson eyes widened at what he saw.

Attached to his arm were multiple wires, red, blue, green, and white. He followed them with his eyes. They were hooked to a gently whirling machine, which was plugged into an outlet in a blank, white wall.

Confused, he took a good look at his surroundings, gulping when he realized he was definitely not where he had been when he'd fallen asleep last night. He was in a small room, purely white with a small window, through which sunlight was pouring. The room was undecorated, and mostly unfurnished. In fact, the room was filled only with the bed on which he laid, the bedside table next to him, and the various machines by which he was surrounded. Startled, he realized that wires hooked all the machines to him, and he was wearing an oxygen mask. He was covered only with a thin white sheet, wearing nothing but a white gown.

Shaking his head in disbelief, he started to yank the wires out, ignoring the slight pain it caused. _What the hell is going on!_ He thought, starting to panic. _Where am I?_

With another yank, another wire came loose.

Then the door flew open.

"Atemu Tsusaka, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Yami jumped, snapping his head up to see a woman in a white dress and wearing a furious expression bearing down on him. "Who are you!" he yelped, trying to back away as far as possible. But that was made impossible when she grabbed his arm and forced him back onto the bed.

"Ripping your wires out! The first time you wake up in weeks and all you can do is cause trouble – sit! Don't move, do you want to go into relapse?" she started to reattach the wires vigorously.

"Hey!" Yami protested, trying to pull his arm away. "You've got the wrong guy! I'm don't need to be here – let go!"

"Don't you tell me what to do, young man! Do you know what happened to you? You where struck by a car going home from school. You nearly died! You've been in the hospital for weeks, lying in a coma. Now don't you cause more trouble for yourself by fighting me!"

"What are you talking about?" Yami snapped, still trying without success to liberate his arm from her iron grip.

But she didn't get to answer, for at that moment, two more people dashed into the room. One was a brown haired man dressed in white with a stethoscope around in neck. The other person made straight for Yami, and did the thing the poor teen was expecting least: pulling the woman away, he grabbed him into a huge, bone breaking hug.

"Wha –" Yami yelped, struggling to pull himself free. Was it national Trap Yami Day or something? "Hey, get off! I don't even know you!"

The person pulled back, and Yami was able to see him clearly for the first time. It was a man about twenty years of age, with deep brown hair, soft eyes, and tanned skin. His clothes were worn and ragged, suggesting a low income, but he wore a smile on his handsome face.

"What do you mean, you don't know me? Did that car give you amnesia, or something?" the man asked teasingly, cocking his head. His voice was pleasant, and, for some reason, made Yami feel very safe.

"I – I'm sorry, I've never seen you before," the crimson eyed teen stammered. He had never felt this confused before in his memory.

The man smirked. "Very funny, 'Temu."

"I'm not joking!" Yami cried. "I don't know you!"

The man frowned, and turned to the two other adults in the room. "What's going on with him?"

The other man – the doctor, Yami realized – came forward and stood by his side. "Atemu, what do you remember?"

Yami scowled. "I'm not Atemu, I'm _Yami_! I'm telling you, wherever I am, you've got the wrong person!"

Now all three people were staring at him with expressions of shock on their faces. The doctor cleared his throat nervously. "All right, then…_Yami_…tell me, who are you?"

"What kind of question is that?" Yami asked blankly.

"Just…tell me everything you know about yourself. Everything, and anything. We promise we won't reveal any information to anyone else."

Yami gave a cold laugh. "You're going to think I'm completely crazy."

"Please, just do it."

Yami glared at the man, wondering if he really should. In the end, he decided, what the heck? Why not give these idiots as big a shock as they gave him? It'd provide great entertainment.

"Fine. Now, listen to my story."

The teen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and began.

"Five thousand years ago, when the pyramids were still young…"

xxx

"_That_…is one strange story."

Yami rolled his eyes at the nurse, who was staring at him as though he'd lost his mind. "I _told_ you so. But hey, you insisted."

"But why would this happen?" the woman turned away from the angry teen to face the doctor, who had an 'I'm thinking' look on his face.

"Well…while he was in a coma, our machines picked up quite a bit of brain waves, suggesting huge amounts of activity. In other words…all the things he thinks has happened to him…the person he thinks he is…was all a mere dream."

"What!" Yami screamed. "You're insane! That's it, I'm leaving! I don't belong here…wherever I am!" he swung himself off the bed, but before he could so much as take a step, the nurse shoved him back down. Placing a firm hand on his head, she successfully prevented any further attempts he made at escape.

"It's quite unusual for a dream to be so real, and replace all your memories, but…that's the only thing that could've happened," the doctor frowned. "As to how to get your memories back, that may be something only Time can cure. And how to convince you that you're not Yami, but Atemu? For starters, there is no such place as Domino City. For another, if you look back in history, I can assure you there was no Pharaoh named Yami."

"And this may tell you all you need to know about how your dream came about."

Yami looked at the young man who had spoken. He was holding out a worn out notebook. On the front was written, in neat handwriting, 'Yu-Gi-Oh! By Atemu Tsusaka'.

With a slightly shaking hand, Yami accepted the notebook, and opened it. His eyes opened in shock. Page after page was filled with words. He flipped hurriedly through it, and random words jumped out at him. "Hikari," "Yugi," and "Egypt," for starters. The whole notebook seemed to be one long story. There were random loose pages stuck in here and there. He turned to the first page, and read, on the very first line, "Five thousand years ago, when the pyramids were still young…"

He was shaking with shock. He scanned through the pages. His life, his history…it was all there. How the puzzle had been solved, how he had met Yugi, Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, Memory world…everything that had ever happened to him was recorded in handwriting that he faintly, very faintly, recognized, though he was sure he'd never seen it before in his life.

"Where…what is this?" he breathed, looking up at the man who had hugged him earlier, who had given him the notebook.

The browned haired man gazed back at him, worry evident in his eyes. "It's yours, Atemu. You wrote it. Every single word."

"Me? No…that's not possible!" Yami gasped, his breathing becoming harsher as his brain struggled to comprehend what was happening.

"You worked on that story for months. We found it inside your backpack," the man replied quietly. "It's yours, Atemu. It fits perfectly with your dream."

There was no arguing this. Yami – or was he really Atemu? – gazed at the stranger with wonder. "Who…are you?" he finally asked.

"My name is Kasin. And I'm your brother."

Yami was at a loss for words.

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Good? Horrible? I won't know what you think if you don't review! (Please?)


	2. Home

Yes, I am aware that it's been a ridiculously long time since I last touched this fic, but after going through that dry-spell, there just wasn't much inspiration. I _do_ love this story, though, it's one of my favorite on-going ones. I'll try harder, I promise, but on the other hand don't get you hopes up too high. I hate disappointing people.

Anyway, this chapter I had lying around for a while. Hope it lives up to expectations.

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The crimson-eyed teen stared out the window at the scenery flashing past. He had a feeling that Kasin, who was driving, was glancing back at least once a minute to check on him, if not more. But that didn't bother him. Not as much as it should have. No, what concerned him a lot more were all the pieces of information buzzing around his mind, trying to organize themselves.

He was still having trouble accepting that he was not Yami, the spirit of the Millennium Puzzle, but, instead, a boy named Atemu Tsusaka. In fact, he was still wondering if he should buy the story. But the evidence against him was so convincing he may not have a choice _but_ to accept it. The notebook alone may be enough to persuade anyone. There were things in that book that not even Yugi knew.

And then there was that fact that the handwriting in the notebook was so strangely familiar.

And third, as he stared out the window, he realized that although he certainly did not remember having ever been here before, his head contained hazy recollections of the things he was seeing. That building. That line of fencing. Even a curiously shaped tree.

It was unnerving. He was remembering things he had no memory of experiencing.

But still, a part of him wondered, and doubted. His life with Yugi and his memories of Egypt seemed too real to be imagination. There was no way he could have made all that up…right?

His head was starting to hurt.

"Hey, you ok back there?" Kasin spoke up softly, breaking into his thoughts. "You look preoccupied."

"You would be, too, if you were me," Yami – or was he Atemu? He couldn't tell! – muttered.

"I supposed," the man sighed. "If there's anything I can do, tell me, okay? I don't like to see you so confused."

"Then tell me about Atemu."

"You _are_ Atemu!"

"Not really. I'm…just a stranger in his body."

Kasin sighed again, looking defeated. "Well, if it'll make you feel better, it can't hurt, I suppose. But this is going to be so strange…

"My brother Atemu is almost fourteen years old, and he's one of the sweetest kids you'll ever meet. He's one of those kids who can do a bit of everything, and do it pretty well. You know the type? Doesn't really excel at anything in particular, but doesn't suck at anything, either. He's kind, generous…everything you'd want in a brother." Kasin smiled softly.

"That's hard to live up to," Yami whispered.

"No, it isn't. You just have to be _you_. Because I know Atemu is still in there."

Yami couldn't think of a reply to that.

They left the city and traveled further and further into the countryside. They were now far from the bustling anxieties of a growing and prospering city, miles from the loudness, and the noise, and the constant motion. It had been nearly noon when they'd left the hospital, and now, the day was drawing to a close. They were traveling on the spread out farms, where one hardly ever saw any signs of human life all day, save for their own families. Now the cats finished off their last kill, and headed back to the little spot they called home to have a last wash before drifting off the sleep. The cows were once again in the barn, munching on a last bite of grass. The horses were settled in their stalls, the chickens had their heads tucked beneath their wings, the eagles had nestled back in the nests, and the sheep had been herded back home. A still silence settled over the rural countryside, broken only by the chirps of crickets and the rustle of grass as the night-creatures woke and started their day.

Finally, they pulled to a gentle stop. Sharp crimson eyes darted around as Yami observed his surroundings. They'd parked in front of an old house, which looked worn and ragged, as though it had been standing in defiance of nature for many, many years. The house stood in the center of a farm, which looked no different than one of the many farms they'd passed over the last hours, with its fields lined with rows of crops, and pasture sporting bald clumps where an animal had grazed. There was a barn next to the house, which looked as old as its neighbor did.

"Come on," Kasin said, climbing out of the car. "We're home."

"Home," Yami repeated softly, gazing wonderingly at the little house, which called to him and gave him such a warm feeling in his heart. "This…is home."

"That's right," Kasin chuckled. "Come. The others are probably waiting anxiously, ready to pounce on me the moment I walk through the door."

"The others?" Yami asked, confused, as he followed Kasin down a little dirt path leading to the front door.

"Our brothers, Atemu," Kasin replied.

"Wait…brothers?" Yami stopped dead. "Who?"

"You'll see in a minute. Maybe you'll remember then." The man grabbed his arm, firmly but gently, and led him up the porch steps. Placing his hands on the handle, he pushed the door back. It opened with a rusty squeak.

"Prepare yourself," the young man muttered. "And I'll do the explaining."

Yami nodded, still very much confused, and cautiously stepped into the house behind Kasin.

It was very cozy inside. A fire was crackling merrily in a fireplace, and the delicious aroma of food was floating out from around the corner, where the kitchen had to be. A darkened hallway skewed off, leading to the rest of the house. There was a couch in the living room, which, like everything else, looked ancient, with bits of stuffing poking out, and its fabric a faded, pale gray. There were a few old board games, carefully stacked in a corner under a small, hand-built wooden table. A few photographs were hung on the walls, which were white, with the paint peeling at the corners.

A child's head suddenly poked out from the kitchen. Yami caught a glimpse of flaming red hair before the boy disappeared again. "Hey, nii-sama's home!" the child yelled, before he tore around the corner and bounced into Kasin's arms, yelling, "Hey, nii-sama, did you get anything for me?"

Kasin laughed, giving the boy a hug, before saying, "Well, I got you all a surprise."

"Really? What?" Yami realized that Kasin was blocking him from everyone's view. The boy didn't even know he was here.

Now more people were appearing from the kitchen. Another young boy with dark indigo hair; a taller, lean, muscular teen; a little toddler with hair so blonde it was almost white, who had a white dog trotting at his heels; and last, a young man wearing a apron who didn't look much younger than Kasin.

"Nii-sama!" the youngest boy giggled, coming forward to wrap Kasin's leg in a hug. He more bounced than walked, the little dog following faithfully at his heels. But while the child stopped at Kasin, the dog trotted around to Yami, and began sniffing his feet eagerly. All of a sudden, the fluffy white dust mop of an animal started yapping excitedly, dancing around the teen's legs.

Wondering what had jump started the dog, the young child looked behind Kasin, blinking his round doe-colored eyes, which widened considerably when they caught sight of Yami.

"'Temu nii-chan!" he screamed, and tackled the poor teen into a bone breaking hug. "You're back! You're ok! You're _back!_" He held on with all his strength, squeezing impossible tighter, while repeating, "You're back, you're back!" over and over like a mantra. _For such a little kid, he's strong!_ Yami thought, gritting his teeth. He had no idea how to react. The first idea that popped into his head was to hammer the kid on the head, pry this little monster off and toss him across the room. However, he didn't think Kasin – or anyone else, for that matter – would approve of that. So he did what any sensible person would do. He stood his ground and shot Kasin a desperate, pleading look, hoping the man would rescue him as soon as possible.

"'Temu?" the red-haired child asked, bewildered, peering around his older brother. "Where – _Atemu!_" And before Yami could even react, he was being squeezed by two over-enthusiastic children, feeling like his back was about to crack. At any rate, his air supply was being rapidly cut off. He considered screaming at Kasin to help, then decided he'd best save what air he still had.

"Umm…" Kasin started, looking worriedly at Yami's face, which was quickly turning a sickly pale. "Boys, maybe you should let him breathe a little."

Yami shot him nasty look that promised revenge later.

"Atemu?" the teen wearing the apron gasped, and all but flew forward to join his younger brothers in the group hug. "Oh, god, Atemu, you're ok!"

"Uhh…" Kasin said weakly, looking helplessly at Yami. "Hey, you really want to let him have some air soon…"

"I…am…going…to…kill…you…" Yami choked, glaring at Kasin for all he was worth. The man flinched and looked down sheepishly.

"You're ok, Atemu. Oh, god, you're really ok…" the teen with the apron muttered in his ear. Yami started to squirm. "Yes, I'm completely and perfectly fine. But I won't be if you keep holding on!" he hissed hoarsely.

Suddenly understanding, the teen released him and stepped back, giving him an apologetic smile. He reached over and pulled the toddler away, too. Kasin hastily grabbed the red haired boy and dragged him off. Yami doubled over, panting and rubbing his sore back, while dearly hoping he would never had another experience like that. It was way too close to suffocating.

"You alright, 'Temu?" Kasin asked, still looking guilty and sheepish.

Yami only scowled at him.

"You're ok, you're ok!" the little toddler continued to sing, dancing around as well as he could while being held back by his brother. He looked like he wanted to dash over and continue his hugging. Yami watched him nervously, ready to dodge at any moment.

The dark-haired child who had stayed back while watching Yami get smothered by the other three came forward, and wrapped his arms around Yami's waist in a gentle embrace. "Welcome back," he whispered. His voice was so soft and warm it instantly softened the teen's eyes. "I missed you."

The last teen, the muscular one, did not come to hug him, but gave him a warm smile.

Unexpectedly, Yami became aware of a soft, golden feeling in his heart, his very soul, as he looked around at these strangers grinning at him. He didn't remember having ever met these people before. And yet, they gave him such a feeling a safety and security…of belonging, of being _home_.

But still, there was some uneasiness. Who was he, that this family would welcome him so gladly? He was supposed to belong, but had no idea how to act. His heart knew it was in the right place. His mind did not.

Kasin rescued him from having to do anything. Clearing his throat, he said, "Akira, aren't you cooking?"

The apron-clad teen jumped. "Oh no, I'm burning!" he groaned, presumably referring to his meal, and ran off to salvage what he could.

Having been released by his captor, the toddler bounded forward again. Yami took a hasty step back. He felt a rush of relief when the dark-haired boy let go of his waist and grabbed the younger one, saying, "No more, Kijan, you'll kill him."

"Keegan, go help 'Kira," Kasin ordered, giving the red-haired boy a gentle push. The child sighed and obeyed, heading for the kitchen, where Akira could be heard running around in a rush.

"Kaden, come say hi," Kasin suggested, beckoning to the muscular teen – Kaden – who rolled his eyes at his older brother, but came anyway. Suddenly grinning an evil grin, he swept Yami into his arms and lifted him off the ground. Grinning even wider at the younger boy's startled squeak, Kaden planted a small kiss on his forehead. Setting him back down again, he said, "Welcome back," and went off to the kitchen, leaving a very flustered Yami behind him.

The dark-haired child chuckled. "Kaden nii-san's such a softie."

"You are too, Amishi," Kasin laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. "You two go help the others. Akira's probably freaking out by now."

"No doubt. Come on, Kijan." He left with the toddler, the dog following at their heels.

"So, any recovered memories?" Kasin raised an eyebrow at Yami, while removing his shoes. "Any fragment of the past?"

"No. Just a huge headache and a backache, too." He did not mention the warm, fuzzy feeling that still lingered.

Kasin sighed. "Maybe it'll come back bit by bit. But no matter. Missing memories or no, we still love you. Now take off your shoes and let's go get supper."

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Yeah, that's a _lot_ of people to keep track of...and don't be shy, leave a review!


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